The number of self identified witches in America has soared in recent years to 1.5 million.

A survey by the Pew Research Center found that 0.4 per cent of Americans, between 1 and 1.5 million – identify as Wicca or Pagan, according toQuartz.

That means there are now more witches in the US than there are Presbyterians who have around 1.4 million adherents.

Experts believe that the explosion in the witch population is due to millennial women’s embracing of new-age spirituality, mindfulness, meditation, and yoga.

Wicca, also called Witchcraft or The Craft, is a Pagan religion which emerged in Britain in the early 20th century. Based on ‘pre-Christian traditions,’ it was popularized by a retired British civil servant named Gerald Gardner throughout the 1950s and 1960s.

Wicca adherents praise nature and nature’s gods and goddesses.

They practice outside in parks, gardens or fields.

They endeavor to achieve self-awakening through dancing, singing, chanting, and with the use of herbs and incense.

Witches, Wiccans, and locals gathered at a Brooklyn metaphysical book store (above) on October 21 to perform a hex ritual on Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, President Donald Trump, and Senator Mitch McConnell

Despite some depictions, it has no connections with Satanism.

The Wiccan pentacle, a five-pointed star inside a circle, is often confused with symbols of Satanism.

In fact, the five points represent the elements of nature – earth, air, fire and water – and the spirit, within the eternal circle of life.

Before the Pew study, Trinity College in Connecticut conducted three large-scale studies on religion which found that the Wicca population grew significantly between 1990 and 2008.

In 1990, the Wicca in the U.S. numbered an estimated 8,000. By 2008, the number grew to 340,000.

The United Kingdom is also considered home to a sizable population of Wicca. A 2011 government census found that there are 12,000 Wiccans in England and Wales.

Wicca, also called Witchcraft or The Craft, is a Pagan religion which emerged in Britain in the early 20th century. Wicca adherents endeavor to achieve self-awakening through dancing, singing, chanting, and with the use of herbs and incense

This means they are more open to exploring other faiths and customs outside of the mainstream.

While in decades past the term ‘witch’ has misogynistic connotations and was used a pejorative, modern-day witches have adopted the lifestyle as an expression of their feminism.

Social media has been the forum through which witches and witch influencers can gain a mass following.

There’s The Hoodwitch, a witch influencer with 329,000 followers on Instagram.

The Hoodwitch practices ‘everyday magic for the modern mystic.’

Experts say that one does not need to be a Wicca or Pagan in order to be a witch, meaning that the actual number of those who practice witchcraft may be higher.

WITCHCRAFT AND THE ORIGINS OF HALLOWEEN

Salem’s internationally known and famous Witch Lorelei Stathopoloulos uses dragon powder on a candle in her shop on Halloween in Salem, Massachusetts

The word ‘witchcraft’ has three main connotations: the practice of magic or sorcery; the beliefs associated with the Western witch-hunts of the 14th to the 18th century; and varieties of the modern movement called Wicca.

Wicca was first publicized in 1954 by a British civil servant named Gerald Gardner who said the religion dated to an old witch cult that existed in secret for hundreds of years, originating in the pre-Christian Paganism of Europe.

Wicca is recognized as an official religion in the United States.

It is a primarily Western movement of nature worship based on pre-Christian traditions.

My essay on Sedna: The Inuit Goddess of the Sea is slated to appear in the Winter Solstice issue of Eternal Haunted Summer Ezine. My article on winter herbs is slated to appear in the Winter issue of Essential Herbal magazine. Here are the links:

The Wheel of the Year has turned again. We are nearing the dark half of the year. Already it is getting darker earlier in the evening. The wind is chillier. Richly colorful leaves flutter to the earth. Pumpkins appear in grocery markets.

This time of the year is the time of the Crone. The attributes of the Crone are wisdom, love, intuition, pragmatism, and fortitude. The images of the Crone are frightening. Humans fear death and the Crone reminds us of old age and death.

The Crone has earned her position in life and was once seen in more respect for the knowledge and wisdom she gleaned throughout her life. She was once revered. Today our society is harsh. The Crone is forced into nursery homes and turned into a vegetable.

The associations with the Crone are old animals, dark colors, heavy clothing, late fall and winter, the waning moon, and the hours from sunset to dawn. The Crone is associated with Witches. The Crone may appear in different cultures, including the Celts. The Celts had a special love for the number three. Their deities appeared in groups of threes: Maiden, Mother, and Crone. The deities were Morrigan, Cerridwen, Brighid, and the ancient Matronae.

The Sheela-na-gig is my favorite example of a Crone. To me, she truly embodies the Crone. Ancient stone carvings depict her squatting and displaying oversized genitals. These women appear emaciated, with or without eyes, a large misshapen toothless mouth, green stringy hair, and torn clothing. Despite the images, they were considered lucky for they forewarned of death. She was seen at the shores of a river, washing the clothing of those who were soon to die in battle. The sexual organs were a holy symbol of birth and life that symbolized the life giving and regenerative powers of the Crone/ Goddess. Artifacts date back to the Neolithic Ages.

She is an enduring example of a life-death goddess. She cannot be destroyed. Her name means “hag”. Just as she is seen as a giver of life, she walks the twilight shadows of darkness and death. She is the keeper of the Underworld. The Crone holds secrets and knowledge. She is the keeper of herbal lore, remedies, and wisdom. In our society where death is feared, and women are portrayed as sex goddesses, the Crone is pushed away and only seen at Samhain, the wicked witch in fairy tales. She is more. The Sheela-na-gig’s pose is confrontational, daring you to defy death and to accept growing old gracefully. The cold season brings people indoors. Take this time to reflect on the Crone and what she may represent or gift you with in your life.